Sherrod Deserves to be Rehired, AND PAID DAMANGES FROM BREITBART:

[liblady]

Personally, I hope the USDA, the President, and every media outlet who simply jumped on the bandwagon (even if they changed their tune later) publicly and sincerely apologizes.

I also hope Sherrod tells them all piss up a rope and finds other work.

agreed 100%

 

[liblady]

Makes no difference whether she's a racist now or not. She was then. She should have known better. Poor judgement is grounds for dismissal....especially on such a sensitive subject.

What if the had been white?

by your estimation, bush was a drunk back in the day and it didn't matter that he was sober now. kind of a ridiculous position, right?

 

[Aunt Spiker]

You know- this is similar to a news article that everyone had their panties in a twist over during the election-season. . . .I'll have to find the article.

But the premise of the article was that a woman *knew* Michelle Obama - went to college with her. At that time this white woman was racist, didn't like Michelle because she was black. She didn't stop being racist through knowing Mrs. Obama - eventually, later in life, she started to change her view and her thoughts on blacks and was still "racist" but decided not to raise her children with those values.

This article came out - and a lot of black people I knew at that time were terribly PISSED and saw *no* good in that story - at all. They ignored the fact that the woman didn't raise her children with teh same values - they only saw that *she* was a racist and focused on that.

If one side can't let something go - then how can they expect the other side to do the same?

 

[liblady]

I use 'learned lesson' anecdotes all the time. They are perhaps THE single most effective way of reaching an audience...especially aidiences in which we have things in common. We connect...we discuss similarities, we discuss our shared experiences, and then we offer changed perspectives. The audience doesnt have to experience things themselves to have the opportunity to grow...they can allow themselves to be inspired by others. I think she did the same thing MANY speakers do.

I wish she had stood up for herself. I wish she had stood against the right media outlets that were attacking her AND the left (oh yes...CNN was right there with Breitbart...point of fact...I think Fox News had her on telling her side of the story before CNN did) AND the White House AND the NAACP. I wish she had insisted they view the whole tape and then if they still wanted her to resign she would. That would have been one of those 'teachable moments' ("good moment! Way to be teachable!" :roll.

agreed, the entire episode really upsets me. i hope she speaks out, and i hope obama apologizes to her publicly.

 

[MaggieD]

by your estimation, bush was a drunk back in the day and it didn't matter that he was sober now. kind of a ridiculous position, right?

It's not the same thing at all. I'm not arguing that point. We're talking about a mindset. And we're talking about poor judgement. At the same time, I agree with Vance that these are excellent teaching moments. I get it. But some things just aren't appropriate.

Now, that was the story she told. Does anyone not think that there were others she didn't tell? That her racism didn't just come to the fore with that couple? Kinda' like a cop admitting he used to be racist early in his career but isn't anymore. What cop in his right mind would use that as a teaching moment? In the reality of the world we live in, he'd be gone in a New York Minute.

Look, Obama can't win on this one. I don't even like the man, by the way. Voted against him. But unlike others, I'm not against every single thing he does.

 

[liblady]

It's not the same thing at all. I'm not arguing that point. We're talking about a mindset. And we're talking about poor judgement. At the same time, I agree with Vance that these are excellent teaching moments. I get it. But some things just aren't appropriate.

Now, that was the story she told. Does anyone not think that there were others she didn't tell? That her racism didn't just come to the fore with that couple? Kinda' like a cop admitting he used to be racist early in his career but isn't anymore. What cop in his right mind would use that as a teaching moment? In the reality of the world we live in, he'd be gone in a New York Minute.

Look, Obama can't win on this one. I don't even like the man, by the way. Voted against him. But unlike others, I'm not against every single thing he does.

why in the world would you bring up something she DID NOT say? how is that at all relevant? wait, i'll answer that, it's NOT. and no, i don't believe she used poor judgement in telling that story. and yes, obama can't win on this, unless he apologizes to her publicly. and can you please tell me what you think obama has done right?

 

[Hatuey]

It's the medias fault?
Since when should someone's employment be challenged by what is discussed in the *media* ??? I thought, when hiring and firing, there should be an extensive investigation and research put into *any* decision made rather than what's reported and discussed ???

This is another example of how the administration just JUMPS the gun and makes a decision without actually researching all the facts, first - it's no one's fault but their own. They fired her, assessed the situation, and maintained their stance.

According to them it's not really about "if she's *right now* a racist" - it's more than that.

So - be angry at the President and everyone else on *her* side who ran her undies up the flagpole.

Funny how the one loathed media-source is shunned and hated and constantly berated and not taken seriously - but then *blamed* when some liberal's ass is in the hot seat.

Awkward, I remember when Imus got fired it was the media's fault.

 

[VanceMack]

It's not the same thing at all. I'm not arguing that point. We're talking about a mindset. And we're talking about poor judgement. At the same time, I agree with Vance that these are excellent teaching moments. I get it. But some things just aren't appropriate.

Now, that was the story she told. Does anyone not think that there were others she didn't tell? That her racism didn't just come to the fore with that couple? Kinda' like a cop admitting he used to be racist early in his career but isn't anymore. What cop in his right mind would use that as a teaching moment? In the reality of the world we live in, he'd be gone in a New York Minute.

Look, Obama can't win on this one. I don't even like the man, by the way. Voted against him. But unlike others, I'm not against every single thing he does.

Any cop asked to teach at an academy...or a police banquet promoting fair and impartial policing, or a symposeum on policing and race...just a few instances of the top of my head...

I think maybe some people are clinging to that shred of dignity...that...well...I was still KINDA right...thing about this one particular case.

 

[MaggieD]

why in the world would you bring up something she DID NOT say? how is that at all relevant? wait, i'll answer that, it's NOT. and no, i don't believe she used poor judgement in telling that story. and yes, obama can't win on this, unless he apologizes to her publicly. and can you please tell me what you think obama has done right?

What did I bring up she didn't say? It's quite clear to me that early in her career she was prejudiced against white farmers. I do believe she used poor judgement. Perception is reality. Poor judgement gets people fired.

As to what Obama has done right . . . that's another thread. You want bipartisan politics? Stop seeing everything in black and white.

 

[Aunt Spiker]

Awkward, I remember when Imus got fired it was the media's fault.

He *was* part of media :shrug: Everything he did was related to the media. :shrug:

He's not a political official or something similar.

Aside that - it was his own damn fault. :rofl

 

[Middleground]

And yet it's another example of how the media has let us all down once again. Does anyone even fact check anymore? Jeepers it's disgusting.

 

[liblady]

What did I bring up she didn't say? It's quite clear to me that early in her career she was prejudiced against white farmers. I do believe she used poor judgement. Perception is reality. Poor judgement gets people fired.

As to what Obama has done right . . . that's another thread. You want bipartisan politics? Stop seeing everything in black and white.

here's exactly what you posted:

Does anyone not think that there were others she didn't tell?

so yes, you are speculating. why? it's quite clear to me that early in his career bush was a drunk, too......and yeah, IT IS THE SAME THING.

by the way, i don't see everything in black or white, but this issue is pretty clear to anyone who actually considers the facts, instead of speculating.

 

[Aunt Spiker]

And yet it's another example of how the media has let us all down once again. Does anyone even fact check anymore? Jeepers it's disgusting.

Hey - don't set your expections high and you'll NEVER be let down.

From the 24/7 media I expect:
For their to be partisan favoritism and bickering
" facts to go unresearched before being presented
" fear mongering and emotional ploys to sway people's opinions
" opinions to be worked in with news
" opinions *being* the news - via twitter and the like
" Racism and prejudice to be rampant
" crap about worthless people like Lindsey Lohan to be worked in with the starving children in Haiti
" all media-people to give upmost tears, heartbreak and support to people immediately after a disaster and then to get tired of discussing it and stop caring so much a few weeks later.

See - I'm never let down. I don't expect fantastical things like honesty and truth and all that junk - that's just not going to happen, why fight?

 

[MaggieD]

Any cop asked to teach at an academy...or a police banquet promoting fair and impartial policing, or a symposeum on policing and race...just a few instances of the top of my head...

I think maybe some people are clinging to that shred of dignity...that...well...I was still KINDA right...thing about this one particular case.

No way. Wouldn't happen. All of his cases would be suspect. I like your last line, though. Here are some of her remarks:

"He had to come to me for help. What he didn't know while he was taking all that time trying to show me he was superior to me was I was trying to decide just how much help I was going to give him," she said. "I was struggling with the fact that so many black people have lost their farmland and here I was faced with having to help a white person save their land -- so I didn't give him the full force of what I could do. I did enough."

I figured that if I take him to one of them, that his own kind [a white attorney] would take care of him," she said.

She didn't say, "What he didn't know while he was talking all that time was that I was thinking he was trying to show me he was superior to me."

It's poor judgement, nothing more, in my opinion. Righteous dismissal.

 

[liblady]

No way. Wouldn't happen. All of his cases would be suspect. I like your last line, though. Here are some of her remarks:



She didn't say, "What he didn't know while he was talking all that time was that I was thinking he was trying to show me he was superior to me."

It's poor judgement, nothing more, in my opinion. Righteous dismissal.

and that, in a nutshell, is why you you are clearly completely partisan.

btw, i think vance meant YOU might be trying to cling to that last shred of dignity.

 

[MaggieD]

LibLady said: so yes, you are speculating. why? it's quite clear to me that early in his career bush was a drunk, too......and yeah, IT IS THE SAME THING.

by the way, i don't see everything in black or white, but this issue is pretty clear to anyone who actually considers the facts, instead of speculating.

It is not anywhere near the same thing. You just couldn't resist a little Bush-bashing. ;-) This issue is muddled in greys. The consequences of her speech call into question her entire career. If you don't get THAT, you're just letting the media further manipulate you.

 

[Aunt Spiker]

and that, in a nutshell, is why you you are clearly completely partisan.

I'm not partisan but I am close-minded when it comes to such things.

I feel that "are racist - was racist" = "incompatible with our work ethics"

 

[MaggieD]

And that, in a nutshell, is why you you are clearly completely partisan.

Huh?????? I didn't vote for Obama. I'm a Conservative.

 

[liblady]

Huh?????? I didn't vote for Obama. I'm a Conservative.

i couldn't tell.

 

[Objective Voice]

She was treated unfairly....so that's what the news is. Had she not been immediately fired, the news would be, "Obama backs racist." Can anyone deny that? Stop confusing people with the facts.

Sherrod was operating in her own little insulated world. In my opinion, she should have known better than to tell this story on herself in a public forum. Hopefully, she's eligible for a full pension. Very poor judgement.

But here's the problem with the perspective you've just presented here. Mrs. Sheddon has apparently told this story several times not only at other NAACP events but at conferences where she has been the guest speaker on race relations. Many people are still wrongfully presenting her speech as if it were the first time she gave it in March of this year and that's not true. I could understand if this was the first time she'd spoken about it, but it's not. Moreover, when she spoke not only of her involvement w/Mr. Spooner, the White farmer, but also after giving details of all the racial hatred she had witnessed from the 60's, Mrs. Sheedon spoke of fostering racial unity, not divisiveness.

This entire incident has been blown way out of proportion. This woman should not have been fired.

 

[MaggieD]

i couldn't tell.

Do you always revert to slamming the poster, or am I just lucky? You couldn't tell because, apparently, if one is a Conservative, in your mind they should be against every single thing a liberal does. Who's partisan now?

Objective Voice said -- This entire incident has been blown way out of proportion.

On that we can surely agree.

 

[Aunt Spiker]

So explain to me this quote from her speech (I wish we had the full speech to discuss)

"And not so much about white - it is about white and black - but it's not"

Is this a faux-pas?
She obviously was discussing something that happened *in the past* and using past-tense.
But then she switched to a present-term reference, affirming her belief that "it is about white and black" - by switching to present tense, to me, that still shows that she feels race DOES play a role.

*maybe* less of a role in her decision making - but still an issue to her none the less . . . and it just brings into question *everything* she does.

My husband, long before we met, threatened to kill a co-worker of his. He had to go to court over it, in fact.
Does it mean anything now? Not really - he *is* different and more mature. but if someone were to consider that and then bring it into a question of character - it IS a legitimate concern.

You cannot *get* inside someone's head to fully understand them - there is no way of guaranteeing that someone is no longer ___. You never know - maybe they are, maybe their view or issue is latent and will recur at some point like a cancer - you just don't know. Employing someone who has a questionable history is taking a chance.

This is why being a good and decent person is a key value and very important. Faux Pas and wrongful thoughts and deeds CAN and DO come back to haunt you - and sometimes it's understandable - sometimes it's not.

 

[roughdraft274]

Huh? THE WHITE HOUSE forced her to resign. "Right wing media" said she shouldn't have been fired.

Did they?

The first time the mentioned it it was Bill O'reilly saying that she should resign. Next up was Hannity where he brought on Newt Gingrich and said she had displayed a "viciously racist attitude."

Don't forget to check out those dumbasses on fox and friends at the end of the link btw. They edited that video better than whoever did it in the first place only to make her look racist.

Fair and balanced my ass.

If Obama told her boss to fire her or anything like that he should have his ass handed to him for believing something so stupid before talking to the person, but Fox news and any other media that talked as if there were no other options, the lady was certainly a racist should issue public apologies and admit that they need to step up there game before believing everything they're told.

 

[Aunt Spiker]

Did they?

The first time the mentioned it it was Bill O'reilly saying that she should resign. Next up was Hannity where he brought on Newt Gingrich and said she had displayed a "viciously racist attitude."

Don't forget to check out those dumbasses on fox and friends at the end of the link btw. They edited that video better than whoever did it in the first place only to make her look racist.

Fair and balanced my ass.

If Obama told her boss to fire her or anything like that he should have his ass handed to him for believing something so stupid before talking to the person, but Fox news and any other media that talked as if there were no other options, the lady was certainly a racist should issue public apologies and admit that they need to step up there game before believing everything they're told.

Downside:

In order to backtrack how it was started on Fox you have to be a faithful watcher.

I heard of it the other day - early in the morning - in a brief 5 minute thing with the rest of the news stories while my husband was watching the news, getting ready for work.

I don't watch news shows so I have no clue where their thoughts are and what they support and who exposed it, blah blah.

 

[VanceMack]

No way. Wouldn't happen. All of his cases would be suspect. I like your last line, though. Here are some of her remarks:



She didn't say, "What he didn't know while he was talking all that time was that I was thinking he was trying to show me he was superior to me."

It's poor judgement, nothing more, in my opinion. Righteous dismissal.

Sad. Because THIS is why we will never really get past all this. A woman exposed to a great deal of racism publicly admits to normal but wrong feelings of racism and talks of learning and understanding that it isnt ABOUT white or black but about poor people and...she cant share that in a way we can all learn and grow from it because at one time in her life, in a job not associated with her current job, two + decades prior, she allowed her personal bias to impact how she helped a customer. NOT "refused to help" but admits to not helping as fully as she could have. And then when that individual was let down by the white lawyer she referred him to, she then DID offer the full force of her office, making numerous trips to help this man and his family keep their farm.

Really? We REALLY cant grow from this? We REALLY cant see this as inpirational and positive? OK...I give up...